A Psychic Query
by Kiba Sniper
Summary: Shigeo finds a note in Reigen's office telling him to not let anyone in the office, but two superstar psychic agents have personal business with Reigen and let themselves in.


A Psychic Query

Surprisingly enough, Reigen was nowhere to be found. Shigeo glanced around the bare office. Simmering, half-drunken coffee on Reigen's desk wafted. His laptop was open yet on sleep mode. The blinds were tightly drawn. Files were hastily scattered on the metal desk.

Shigeo leaned forward, gripping his backpack straps. He noticed a strange emblem on computer paper, one which he had only seen in old comic books. The faint light blue ink on the emblem was scrawled, streaking through the white paper, as if Reigen tore the sheet out of the printer. A pink brain was in the center of the uneven rectangular shapes. Documents in scarlet ink in English were barely legible from the fading printing quality. Shigeo collected the papers, squinting as he attempted to read them only to notice the sticky note haggardly leaning on the edge of Reigen's desk.

 _Mob! I had to step out of the office to get some printer ink. If ANYONE knocks on the door, and it isn't me, DO NOT ANSWER! I'll be back within the hour. If anyone arrives, call me as QUIETLY as you can._

Shigeo glanced at the wall clock. The ticking echoed in the silent office as the larger hand idly passed the half hour mark. He was certain Reigen would arrive before 4 p.m., and considering the urgency his master had in asking him to come into work immediately after school, Shigeo wondered what had happened. He knew Reigen normalized spontaneously calling in Shigeo on last-minute exorcisms, but Shigeo had a feeling something was wrong.

Shigeo ambled over to the pale light blue leather chairs. He set his school bag on the cramped circular desk and fished for his notebooks. He had English homework, but before he could begin, a knock on the door attracted his attention. Shigeo closed his notebook, clamping his lips shut. He shuffled over to the door and gazed out the peephole.

To his surprise, two strange beings were outside. They seemed to be immersed in a private conversation. The man in deep green clothing crossed his arms, a flash of irritation spreading throughout his features as the woman in bizarre, colorful clothing gently chuckled, patting his shoulder. Shigeo leaned away from the door, ambling back over to his bag. He pushed through his various thin notebooks and collected his cell phone. Going through his contacts, he cringed as a harsher knocking caused him to fumble. Shigeo sucked down a breath, bouncing the phone on his palms before tightly clutching it. Sighing, Shigeo called Reigen.

A brief ring echoed in his ear only to be silenced with the frenetic voice of his master hissing into his ear, asking, "Are they here?"

"Yes. They're right outside," Shigeo whispered as a gentler knocking ensued. "There's two of them. A woman in a party dress and a man in a-"

"Okay, okay," Reigen interjected, currently in the middle of a convenience store down the street. He peered at the register with desperate eyes, groaning to himself as the line seemed to grow longer with each glance. "I'm stuck at the store. There's something wrong with the register, but if this keeps up, I'll just end up printing my papers at the nearest library. Just don't open the door, got it? Stay inside."

"I understand, Master," Shigeo said, and Reigen abruptly hung up with a shriek, cut off by an irritated man swinging his arm back and knocking his phone to the ground. Shigeo heard faint screams on the other end as customers roared at the poor employee before the line went dead.

Shigeo pocketed his phone. Returning to his seat, Shigeo glanced at the various posters of his master plastered on his desk and the walls. The smirking young man always leaned forward during his photoshoots, claiming the front of him was his perfect side. Shigeo went to imitate on of Reigen's expressions only to flinch when the doorknob jostled.

Shigeo clutched his notebook to his chest. He swallowed, tilting his head as the doorknob continued to rapidly jiggle. Shigeo leaped to his feet, quickly reaching for his cell phone only for the lock to suddenly click. He froze, feeling as though encased in a block of ice. Shigeo's teeth chattered, and chilled sweat tainted his brow as the door slowly opened.

"Ah, quaint office place," Agent Sasha Nein remarked, stepping inside, "but I have more of a suspicion our friend has decided to run."

"Well, I suppose evading us is all he can do if-" Agent Milla Vodello broke off, gasping quietly. She stretched her lips into a kind smile as she spotted the stupefied Shigeo. "Oh, hello, darling! Excuse us for barging in like this. We didn't know a child would be here."

"We have a search warrant," Sasha replied, raising a document from the inner pocket of his coat, "so we're not breaking and entering, but we apologize if you were startled."

Shigeo glanced between the Psychonauts in blank trepidation. He clutched his phone to his chest, nodding. Shigeo scuttled to Reigen's desk, quickly setting his bag down and spreading his notebooks over the misprinted papers.

"Is Mr. Arataka Reigen around? Are you his son?" Sasha inquired, and Shigeo shook his head. Sasha hummed, gripping his chin. "I see. I guess we just missed him."

"Do you mind if we wait around for him? We only have a few questions for him," Milla asked, smiling at Shigeo.

Shigeo leaned back in Reigen's chair. He spotted the note left by Reigen, a cold blue terror seizing his heart. Anxiety swirl in his chest despite his blank expression and rose higher, but he thickly swallowed. Covering the note with his left palm, Shigeo smiled.

"Yes, I mind," Shigeo flatly said, channeling his inner Reigen. "Master isn't here, and I'm trying to do my homework, so I'd like it if you guys left since you don't have my permission to stay here. Besides, isn't forcing your way into an office rude?"

Sasha and Milla let their expressions fall. Milla's smile vanished, replaced with a silent gape. Sasha quickly adjusted his glasses, tempted to peer over them at the young teenager. The agents exchanged a brief glance, telepathically mulling over what to do.

When they arrived, they sensed a presence inside the office. They felt palpable PSI power contained within something tiny inside of Reigen's office. Arriving under orders to investigate whether Reigen was a fraud or not, they were rather surprised to find the source of such potent psychic energy coming from an untrained middle-schooler. Even with their past cadets at Whispering Rock excelling in poignant abilities, they had never sensed such raw, unmatchable, unmitigated psychic prowess coming from an untrained boy.

Milla's practiced grin return. She sat across from Shigeo, gently gripping her knees. "We understand your apprehension, dear, but Mr. Reigen is operating a psychic business without proper qualifications, so the Psychonauts sent us here to investigate."

The name of the prolific secret agency sparked Shigeo's interest. He recognized the name from the comic books he read as a younger boy with Ritsu and Tsubomi. Shigeo relaxed in his seat, repeating the name.

"The Psychonauts are quite interested with Mr. Reigen. We've heard his exorcised spirits through psychic powers. It's not exactly a form of channeling, no, no, but simply through his psychic presence," Sasha explained, sitting next to Milla. "That should be impossible under normal circumstances. It takes years of practice to exorcise spirits. It's typically a job for the channeling division of the Psychonauts, but for one man to be able to do so without training, well, he'd be a valuable asset to the Psychonauts or he's a fraud."

The final word seized Shigeo. His eyebrows briefly raised only for his face to tighten. He straightened his back like a proper student. As Reigen's pupil, he had heard enough backlash despite witnessing Reigen's prowess firsthand. His master had immense power, scoffing at weak-willed spirits and exorcising a demon from a photograph within seconds. Many arrived to Reigen's office to complain or insult him, but Shigeo watched Reigen expertly overcome the demeanors with class and competency.

His budding confidence mixed with dying perturbation. Shigeo shook his head, leaning forward and remarking, "He's not a fraud. Master is the one teaching me."

"He is? And we could sense your PSI power from outside, too," Milla said, peering at Sasha.

"Intriguing. If he's as potentially powerful as from what we can sense in you, perhaps he is legitimate," Sasha said, continuing on with his explanation as Shigeo's eyes wandered.

The front door silently crept open. Reigen slowly poked his head inside, and his mouth flopped open, gaping like a dying fish. His arms rapidly moved as Sasha extended an offer to Shigeo about Whispering Rock Psychic Summer Camp. As Sasha mentioned that his age would not be a deterrent and began explaining the formalities of the camp, Reigen tiptoed inside. He pressed his back to the wall, and Shigeo continued watching him slide along the wall.

"...and if you'd like, we be grateful to have you at Whispering Rock to help your potential maximize," Sasha finished, and he handed Shigeo a pamphlet for Whispering Rock.

Milla politely smiled, setting her fingers to her temple. She said, "And we'd also like to have your master's permission before you agree."

Reigen squealed, hitching his heels against the wall as Milla telekinetically plucked his leg. Arms slamming against the ground as Milla flipped him upside down and demurely tugged him over, Reigen screamed. His jaw rocked feverishly with distressed cries despite how slowly Milla pulled him and even set him upright next to them.

Reigen raised his elbows, grinning obsequiously. His oleaginous grin stretched far into his cheeks much to Sasha's discomfort. He shot his fingers and thumbs out, and he edged closer to Shigeo. Quietly ushering Shigeo out of his seat, Reigen tucked documents into his sleek jacket and scowled.

"So, that's what's happening here! I come home to find two scoundrels breaking and entering and interrogating Mob! That's a crime! To think the Psychonauts would stoop to common criminality!" Reigen barked, jabbing his forefingers at Milla and Sasha's forehead only to grimace as Sasha revealed the search warrant. Immediately deflating, Reigen trailed off with uncomfortable laughter.

"Mr. Reigen, we're from the Psychonauts as you're well aware. You've been consistently disregarding our requests for orthodox verification of your status as a psychic and the proper permit for owning your psychic business," Sasha replied, and Reigen leaned forward, humming.

"I see, I see, well, from my point of view…" Reigen snatched Shigeo's shoulders. "...you two have been trying to influence Mob! Trying to steer him off to summer camp without the approval of his parents! Is that how the Psychonauts work?"

"We just offered him a pamphlet and explained the camp to him, and isn't it rude on your behalf, Mr. Reigen, to ignore legal requests?" Milla pointedly asked, and Reigen's stiff fingers went limp, dangling at his desk. "We've even subpoenaed you, but from the looks of things, you've been ignoring us."

Reigen beat his chest, feigning a cough. He peered at the barely visible document from the Psychonauts on the corner of his desk requesting for the third time about verification. Reigen bit his lip, stuttering for a response.

Glancing down at the befuddled Shigeo, Reigen clutched his shoulder and asked, "Mob, were these creeps harassing you?"

"Sort of. Agent Nein went on a tangent about a Brain Tumbler and its physics about the mental world," Shigeo said, and Milla covered her mouth, stifling a laugh as Sasha tightened his jaw.

"Sasha, dear, you do like to talk a lot about your inventions," Milla teased, and Sasha suppressed his irritation.

"If that's the way this conversation is going to go, then I'm going to need to insist on the proper paperwork." Sasha gestured for Reigen to produce his paperwork.

Reigen grinned, tutting and waving his finger. "Isn't there anything else I can do? I mean, discussing this in front of Mob is a bit, well, impressionable."

"Oh? How so?" Milla asked, and Sasha shook his head, lightly slapping Reigen's hand away.

"Simple! It's simple, Agent Vodello, and can I say you look lovely?" Reigen asked, taking her hand and kissing it, earning a nettled, quirked eyebrow from Sasha in return. "Swirls of color really suit you! They bring our your beautiful eyes and long hair!"

Milla chuckled, touching her cheek. "Flattery won't get you everywhere, Mr. Reigen. I'm quite happily taken."

Noticing Sasha surreptitiously slip his hand into Milla's open palm, Reigen recoiled and rubbed his chin. "Ah, ah, ah, I understand! Completely! Definitely! I-oh, hey, Mob, can you feel that?"

As Reigen leaned down to him, Shigeo raised his head, replying, "No?"

"Can you sense their power? It's so...feeble," Reigen said, and Sasha narrowed his pinpointed stare.

"It's definitely there, but you can't sense them, Master?" Shigeo asked.

"Not at all! It's so weak! Really, Mob, you'd trounced them any time of the week," Reigen said, waving his hand in front of his face, "and since I can't sense them, it means their power is so miniscule that they shouldn't be bothered with at all!"

As stars of appreciation and awe shone in Shigeo's eyes, Sasha ordered, "Mr. Reigen, you can't keep evading us. Now, give us the paperwork."

"If you insist," Reigen said, reaching into his jacket and thrusting papers into Sasha's hands, "but come along, Mob! We've got an exorcism to get, too, and since I gave you what you wanted, I have every right to make you leave. So, show 'em, Mob!"

Shigeo nodded, and without setting his fingers to his temples, he telekinetically lifted the perplexed advanced agents into the air. Shigeo quickly thrust the yelping agents out the door, slamming the door as he went from the sheer force of their eviction. Reigen whistled, wiping sweat off his brow and smirking at Shigeo.

"Great work, Mob! Now, let's get going! We've got a case to settle and a spirit to exorcise!" Reigen proclaimed, and the grinning Shigeo nodded, grasping his cell phone and following Reigen out the back door.

Outside in the busy streets, Sasha and Milla were currently lying on their backs, papers spread across their chests. People moved around them, continuing on their way with only a few second glances. Milla rubbed her head as she sat up. Sasha snatched his fallen glasses, quickly shoving them back onto his face. Milla collected the papers and thumbed through them as Sasha grumbled to himself.

"Sasha, this is all fake," Milla deadpanned, and Sasha closed his eyes, sighing. "Though, I have to say, he really tried to make this look official. Even the embroidered emblem is right."

Milla took Sasha's hand and helped him stand. They peered over the paperwork, glancing at the door and no longer sensed Shigeo's PSI power. Knowing they escaped, Sasha clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth.

"Well, we can try again later, darling. There's always next time," Milla said, walking down the crowded street with Sasha.

"The boy is powerful, but his master is a fraud. We could very well charge him with forgery and other crimes," Sasha said.

"Let's let it go for now, Sasha. That boy seems to be in good care. Although we were thrown out pretty unceremoniously, I guess it's a first for everything. I've never been tossed out of any function before," Milla cajoled, laughing through her fingers.

"You seem to be in too good a mood, Milla," Sasha remarked, and Milla brushed off his dourness.

"Now, now, let's focus on this later. We have other pressing matters like the escalating situation involving Claw," Milla said, shuffling the papers in a neat, orderly fashion.

"Hm, that's right. That is a pressing concern," Sasha said, linking his free arm with Milla's. "Though, I'd like to swing by later to give Mr. Reigen another piece of my mind."

"Let's investigate after we get something to eat. I'm so flustered over being tossed out," she said, grinning and leaning into Sasha, and Sasha warmly chuckled.

As they walked down the sidewalk with idle chatter and bantering between one another, Reigen Arataka lived another day as a noble psychic with his apprentice.


End file.
